Viewfinder: Open Access (page 2)

In fact, this concentration of power was pondered at the onset of the TV industry. When Congress drafted the Communications Act of 1934, one Congressman said, "If we should ever allow such a potentially powerful medium to fall into the hands of the few, then woe be to those who would dare to disagree with them."

Unfortunately, few people in the government are paying close attention to what is at stake. Congressman Edward Markey of Massachusetts is one of the few. He gave a speech in which he said that media diversity should guarantee "that there is a multitude of 'media tongues' that can speak, that you don't have to work for the biggest and most powerful companies, or be a certain kind of person to get access. That the smallest voices, those articulating creative ideas, those with information to communicate, have access to the telecommunications network. That they can be free and strong and separate from the larger voice that may want to be more monopolistic and drown them out, and that localism can be, in fact, fostered through this network. That it's not just a couple of voices coming from New York or LA, but voices all across the country that can use the telecommunications system.... The power of communications is the power to help us learn more about the world and to bridge the gaps that separate our differences."

Many of our readers hope to be able to express themselves through video on the information superhighway, while others may not. All of us, however, should be concerned about how many or how few viewpoints flow into our homes through the TV set. Write your Congressman today and support "open access."

Matt York is Videomaker's publisher/editor.

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